Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-04-30
NEGRO REALITIES.
Some of the Trials Which the Southern
 Housekesper Must Endure.


 Light and darkness. sunshine and shadows strangely blend together all through life and in the negro charac- ter the good and evil is iudiscriminate- ly nike up, with the down weight in favor of the evil. In all human natures l question if any can call forth as many petty, annoying disagreeable traits of character IS that of our ebony hued domestics. Self-interest is the ruling power which prompts every ac- ton and the reward to come actuates every protfer of assistance.
 do not speak unadvisedly when l affirm that it is a part of ihefreedman' religion 10 dislike the white man and to iniure and secretly appropriate his property. Still. underlying thelr gan- eral deIneanor there is a species of ur- 1 banity, defereuce. and humility which is&n ouicrop of their policy, and not of their true. genuine good will to de white folks" Yet think the negro p1an is less bitter and possesses more agreeable characteristics than the dusky daughters of our soil, for I will place the Sulkv, contentious, sluggish, freed lady of color" against entire domestic world for disagreeableness. They can try you to the utmost limits of your patience and eXltlt in your dis
 comliture and annoyance and maintain their stolid indifference to the end.
 It is not generally conceded that the darky is very apt or possessed of unus- ual inventive genius, yet they combine the two qualities in an unusually exalt- ed degree, for who can deny that where a negro is caught in a very tight place they are extremely apt at inventing a very plausible excuse for being in that place. l have known ''hand" to be caught in the field with welI-stuffed bag of corn OF his shoulder to solemnly affirm that he ''jia dun tuck dat sack away from a strangf nigger and fore de Lord lie wus j,s dat mint a-gwine to fotch it to de boss" He wouldn't fin
 no wise steal corn, kase he could get huff jis fur de axing"
 They cling as tenaciously to a fabri- cated statement of their own fertile Imagination as if it were gospel truth,
 and IS unb!usaia%!y as if their charac-
 ters Tor Veracity were unimpeachabe. Perhaps, just at present. am not in a
 very charitable frame of mind toward
 the darkey world. for I am for the
 twentieth time undergoing the trying
 ordeal 0 having my help "Seek relig-
 ion.
 This simple statement will cali forth
 the sympathy of many southern
 h0usekeeper, and palliate my bitter
 ness, but for the benefit of the inexper-
 fenced 1 will describe the symptoms of
 a sinner suffering under the conv iction of unpardoned sins. A very long fac, with more mourGfal. expression than the one which denotes t.sulSs," usheSs in the proceedings. Ihe listiess airl pre-
 occupied manner, tightly-closed pkuth,
 the martyr-lilie bearing, constitute a : picture so fresh and vivid that l shu,l-
 der even as l write. To smile is indeed
 q crime Of serious T agnitude, for which
 double penance must be paid in the
 shape of still more lugubrious express sion of countenance. Each and every little reprimand is construed into a : "censo, which must be borne by the seeker" with all meekncss-the great ? CT tine trials the more complete the vic- tory.
 Your work is sadly neglected. ''kase'' ) yoGr help ''ain't got no hart 10 wurk soul, and altogether 1 hardly can de-  ] evils, an acute attack of chills or a pro t longei spell of religion seeking | But all things must end, and early some morning you will be rudely arous- [ ed from the bilssful matutinal dreams e by the soul-freed shouts of your''neart' 5 trial," aud be regaled with the pleasing n information that ''I SC dun cum frew 2 wid the blissid religion ob our Sabior; T Is sarched de Lord airly and late, and, T flank de High King, pse dun foun' him j. 1'se bin 10 de golden gate, l Ise knocked | and has entered into de kingdum; is 6 a rcserrictcd sinner, and 1 is washed as Y white as snow." Knowing full wei V your help is far too happy to descend 4 to the sublunary realities of cooking a breakfast, you mechanically don your . own clothes and proceed to the kitchen, d while the liberated sinner salies forth " to scatter abroad de blessed news" ;, It is just scene like this, and tho f enforced necessity of preparing such !; 70 meal that suggested this exposure o1 ,t negro fr;lilties and which prompts the - wish that all our work could be done Q by machinery.
 :, The mere thought is filled with bliss V and rest at the same time. l mus y ccmpromise with my better self by ex ~ tending 10 the descondants of our ole =. ''uncles and aunties" my best wishe v for their future advancement and pres if perity, for the kindly reinembrances o our childhood ''mammies" promp ,a many kind thoughts for their worthles ,1 latter-day representatives. = Ril.Gde' n phtG 1t1leS.
 II